Saturday, August 25, 2018

Beginning of the School Year Joy

The
beginning of the school year has many joys and challenges. As parents it is easy
for us to want to solve problems for our children. However, with each new
school year comes new levels of maturity and it is good for us to allow
children to struggle and learn for themselves. If we stay available they will
come to us if and when they need our help.

One thing
that parents can do to help is to foster positive emotions. There is good
reason to believe that positive emotions support social skill development and
academic success. It is not hard to see the connection between a good attitude
and making friends, or learning new skills.

When we
promote positive emotion it does not mean that we ignore negative emotions. Children
need to be able to talk with their parents about frustrations and solutions.
When we promote positive emotions we are keeping children from dwelling on
troubles and reminding them of the ways that God is at work in their life.

One way to
do this is to encourage your child to pay attention to the good things that
happen each day. When you see your child after school, make the list of happy
things the first priority. Help your child to reflect on what benefit they received
and to consider if someone should be thanked. Gratitude is a powerful
characteristic of resilience.

After the
listing of good things there can be time to talk about frustrations. You will
likely note that your children will develop in their skills of problem solving
as they combine their gratitude with brainstorming solutions.